There has been more and more baby talk around the house this month, as we start really preparing for her arrival. (And by her, I mean the "baby who has no name". Yeah. Still haven't decided). Less than two more months till d-day! YAY! We've moved India out of the crib and into a bed. The crib has been outfitted with a mobile and adjusted to the correct mattress height for an infant. India's closet has been taken over with infant clothes. Toys have been moved out of the room to make way for . . .

Today while I was blow-drying my hair, India got a hold of our DVD holder, unzipped it, and then proceeded to systematically remove all 30some DVD's from their protective sleeve and scattered them about the room. Picking DVD's up off the ground while you are pregnant is SO comfortable. And it took me about 45 minutes to get them all back in.Seriously. She is scheming on ways to drive me slowly insane. . . .

A couple months ago, Mama Manifesto highlighted an idea we had seen on several other mommy blogs: Muffin Tin Monday. I must admit, I thought it was a cute idea, but I never got around to doing it. But . . . I found another great use for that muffin tin: leftover salvage.Last week, we had one of those nights where the fridge was full of single-serving leftovers that needed to be eaten. We had a half-full box of takeout, a couple of previous nights's meals in tupperware, and a few perishable . . .

It's been fun to watch Jafta emerge into a little man this year. He has truly matured so much, and I love this transition from 3 to 4. I have to admit, I am not one of those moms that relishes the toddler years. I am enjoying this stage where he is developing into a cool little person. Jafta's birthday was last month, and he received a Target giftcard. He called it his "credit card". (Hmmm, no clue where he learned that concept . . .) He was so excited to go to the store and pay with his own . . .

India has this funny habit of adding in the prefix "a la" to certain words and phrases. Think ice cream a la mode, except that she uses it in contexts that make no sense. I think it's just a way for her to string words together that she can't fully pronounce, but the result is hilarious. It makes everything a little French and exotic. Some of my favorites:I'm ready a la go Winner a la PoohThumbs up a la cheers (meaning we do "cheers" with our thumbs. also her idea)Lightning a la Queen . . .

How is this done with four? Really?I can barely do it with two. Notice my technique: both kids in the cart, food spilling out from underneath, bribing both kids with food and drink. I am all about containing the kids in the cart. I can't have them running around the store. But how will I manage four? They won't all fit in the cart. Will I just buy those harnesses and strap two of them to the side of the cart? And get dirty looks and nasty comments for leashing my kids? Then again, you get dirty . . .

I have enjoyed using my neti pot ever since Dr. Oz and Oprah told me I should be doing it. (Because I do whatever Oprah tells me I should do). I gotta tell you, though, if you haven't tried it, you should. It's amazingly refreshing. And did I mention OPRAH does it?So anyway, I've been deaing with a nasty cold for weeks now, and yesterday I was looking forward to giving the system a little flush. Jafta was at preschool, and India was hanging out with me in the bathroom. I prepared my pot, tilted . . .

There is no freedom of speech in this house. My kids inherited a Winnie the Pooh book, and I felt it was a little too scary. The Heffalump threatened to eat Winnie. To "gobble him up", to be precise. The horrors! Way too scary for my kids. So I decided to cross that line out with a Sharpie. I am ever the over-protective mother.My kids took immediate notice to the editing I did, and now every time they read it, they scold me for having "colored" in their book. And my husband mocks me for . . .

Jafta's 4th birthday was yesterday. It was a full day. In the morning, Jafta decided to try riding a bike without training wheels. As you can see from the video, he wasted no time! I kid you not, he was speeding down the street on his first try. What Jafta lacks in fine motor skills, he makes up for in the gross motor department. In the video, you can hear him yelling LOOK AT ME!! He was pretty proud of himself.We spent the morning at a warehouse full of bouncehouses, and the kids jumped until . . .

Hope yours is great!! We had a fun morning doing Christmas as our family. Here is a little video of the discovery. Please enjoy Jafta's "kicks of joy" as he sees the toys. We just got a few toys, but the one WE were most excited about was this keyboard/mixing table from V-Tech. Mark was "testing it out" last night while we set up the toys. For about a half hour he pretended to be Fatboy slim. You know, just to make sure it works and all. I mean, sitting there playing with your own kids' toys is . . .